Lawn edger attachment



April 27, 1954 c. T. ASBURY LAWN EDGER ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 18, 1950 N VE N T01@ CIL/nais r Aswy @Y 1 1 vnl.

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JMW @fda April 27, 1954 c. T. AsBURY 2,676,447

' LAWN EDGER ATTACHMENT Filed July 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @ma Afm@ Patented Apr. 27, 1954 PATENT or FICE LAWN ED"G`II;6;;ACHMET"` toiAsbury/Corpbraticn,

pbrationrof Delaware Application"Jl`xly`18,` '1950, Serial N. 174,392

(Cl. Mii-25.4)

4 Claims: 1 t

lawns 'and' the like;

As is wellv known,v morder tol do a'cOmpIete and proper job ofmowing a lawn, it `is'necessary"not only'tomow thelawn,"but to v'give 'it special `treatment along the edges oty sidewalks, driveways;

fiower'beds,"hedgerows, and the'like. This'spec'ial treatment usually' consists "of-edging' the-lawn by trimming offth'e' 'grasses/f that arenot caught i the lawnmower," and"otherwise-'so treating'"'the`- lawn `sol as to provide a sharp edge'lwhich adds materially jto' `theappearance of the lawn-when completed.'

Numerous devices have l"been'^and *are manufactured and "sold forth'e 'purpose' of edging'the lawnsin" the mannerdescribedabove; but heretofore thesede'vices haveall'been lacking in one or more respects.'

A` numberof the devices" comprise a unitary f mechanism'havingno otherpurpose'th'anV that of edging the lawn. This, of course, is not the most J desirablesituati'on because considerable' expense is involved "providing a-'sing1e` purpose" tool," and Other ldeviceshave been proposed which are"- permanently mounted in* combinationv with a`- lawnmower, but devices of this nature havenot always' beensatisfactoryfdue to the'fact thatitis not always desired tohavethem f' on themowerf and, furthermore,` they havev beenl quite expensive and generailynot well designed for thel purpose"- to which vthey `are'to Abe" put;

Havingthe foregoing` inmind, it is'a primary object of the` present invention toprovidea lawn -like which" eliminates" the difficulties yreferred to -above thathaveobtainedi with similar devices as constructed according to edging device' or the the prior'art;A

Anotherl 'particular obj ect of 'the `present v v V40 ventionisto provide a lawnedging device which can readily *be 4"attached tofanm ordinary' :poweri mower,"tliereby'-1orovidirigv for 'a"relative1y`, ineX- pensive attachment device rather than requir ingthat a complete piece of equipmentbepu'r'e chased."

It is astill further object of the present invention to provide'a lawnedgingdevice 'or thelike` which islight but Whichnevertheless isv extremely A V'particular 'obj ect 'ofthe' present Vinvention is i to providean edging device for "lawns and' "the Y 2 tion is the provision' of a lawniedging device or thelike which utilizesl aY self-sharpening wire brush asA the 'edging implement.

A further object of vthe present invention is the provision ofalawn 'edgingjdevice which can 'readilyi be attached to or detached from Vthe usual type of power mower and Ywhich is highly flexible so as to be useful funder a plurality' of different circumstances'.

Thse and' other objects and 'advantages will become more apparent upon'reference tothe following description taken inconnection withv the accompanying drawings; in which:

Figure' '1 is a 'perspective view of one fornivv of a lawny edging Vtool according to "my invention and shows' the edging device "mountedv on a power' mower;

Figiuev 2 is a sectional view indicated by line 2"-2 on Figure 1 and shows the appearance of the edging device `at l the 'drive' pulley 'end thereof;

Figure3 is'an end viwof a device looking' in' from the right end Vof Figure `1;

Figure 4is=a viewlike Figure 3, but showing the tool end'of the device tilted;

Figure 5 isa sectional view indicated on line ELS" of Figure 2"'and showingone form of `ad' justnient for rasi g'and' lowering the working end ofthe device;

Figure 6is`an` enlarged 'View 'takenonline 6 6 i l'jwhich has at its rear end pivot means l2 by means "of which it is secured. to a bracket -ht adapted `fo`r being detach'ably mounted,` as illus-A trat'edfinFigure 1, on a power mower.

Extending through" pivot means l2 is an `axle I6 having a pulley the V-belt 20 that is drivenby the'sourceof power for 'the mower.v On thetother endof shaftlis purpose "of "which is'A to `drive the Arctating redging I8 on one end overwhich runs Beam I is preferably formed in two parts, the iirst part being attached to the power mower as described, and the forward part which supports the edging tool being pivoted to the rear part on an axis extending longitudinally of the beam. The forward part comprises the angular end portion 26 which is pivotally retained on the end of the rear part of the beam by pivot bolt 28. A slot 30 in part 26 and clamping bolt 32 extending through the slot permit the forward end of the beam to be tilted to any predetermined angle and rigidly clamped in whatever position of adjustment it is placed.

The forward part of the beam is preferably divided into two parts with the forward part being indicated at 34. This part is adjustable longitudinally of the beam by virtue of slots 38 therein through which the clamping bolts 35 pass. This last-mentioned adjustment permits the tool end of the beam to be adjusted so that belt 24 is maintained in proper engagement with pulley 42 mounted on shaft 4D that is journaled in the extreme forward end of the beam, and which also mounts the edging tool 44.

Edging tool 44 is preferably shielded by the shield member 45, as illustrated. Edging tool 44 is illustrated as a tufted or knotted wire brush, and this particular form of rotary cutting element is preferred because of its self-sharpening characteristics and because, in addition to cutting, it also has a brushing and cleaning action that exceeds that obtainable by straight cutting members. However, it will be apparent that disks having smooth or serrated peripheries could also be used in place of the brush illustrated and Y would work satisfactorily in many instances.

I have also found that a swing hammer type of suspension works quite well for supporting the rotary cutting member on the end of the beam. Accordingly, the arrangement illustrated is the one to be preferred, but is by no means the only arrangement that can be made of the cutting member to produce satisfactory results.

As previously mentioned, the beam l0 is pivotally supported at its rear end at I2 on the bracket lll that is secured to the mower. The beam HJ is adapted for being raised and lowered about this pivotal connection by an adjusting device that is best seen in Figures 2, 5, and 6. This adjusting device comprises a plate 48 pivotally mounted about the axis of shaft I6 and having a hand lever 50 by means of which it can be tilted to any predetermined angle of adjustment.

A link 52 is connceted at 54 to beam Ill at its forward end and is adapted for having its rear end connected into any one of a number of apertures 56 in the periphery of plate 48.

For retaining plate 48 in any of its adjusted positions, there is a spring pressed detent 58 carried by bracket I4. The detent 58 is urged outwardly by the spring 58a to cause the integral end part 59 to enter one of the apertures 60a circumferentially arranged on the plate. In this manner the beam can be adjusted to raise and lower the tool end thereof. This adjustment, taken in combination with the pivotal mounting of the tool end part of the beam, provides for a high degree of exibility and permits the edging tool to be presented to the work at any angle and at any elevation.

At the same time, due to the fact that beam lil pivots about the axis of a shaft I6, the drive belt 24 always remains in proper driving engagement with the pulleys over which it passes.

In Figures 7 and 8 substantially the same arrangement is illustrated, except that the eleva` ting mechanism for raising and lowering the device about the pivotal axis 59a comprises the worm gear 60 which is engaged by the worm 62 adapted for being driven through the universal coupling 64 by shaft li extending to the opera-i tors position at the handle of the machine. By this arrangement, the operator has precise coni trol of the position of the edger at all times and can manipulate it to suit the particular work be ing done.

The arrangement of Figures 7 and 8 also positions the pivot means 68 about which the tool end of the beam can be tilted relative to the other part forwardly of the adjustment at 1U by means of which the drive belt 12 passing over the tool drive pulley 14 and the motor driven pulley 16 can be kept taut.

In otherrespects the arrangement of Figures 7 and 8 can be considered to be the equivalent of that described in detail for Figures 1 through 6.

In Figure 9 there is illustrated a somewhat modified construction as shown in Figures 7 and 8 wherein there is a threaded member 8]` that is connected through the flexible coupling 82 with a rod leading to the handle of the mower so the screw can be rotated -by the operator at will to tilt the device about the pivotal axis 591. A first block 84 is trunnion mounted on the stationary frame 8B of the device and a second block 88 is trunnion mounted on the beam 90 of the device. The threaded rod 8i! is threaded through one of the blocks and is rotatable in the other thereof while being restrained against axial movement therein, as by means of the collars 92.

It will be apparent that rotation of the threaded rod will bring about raising or lowering of the brush end of the device. Optionally, the rod may have its opposite ends oppositely threaded and be threaded into both of the trunnion mounted blocks.

It is to be observed that the edging device according to my invention is in the form of an attachment that can be secured to or removed from a power mower. For this reason, it is substantially more inexpensive to purchase than the usual type edging device which is a complete tool in itself.

The edging device according to my invention does not interfere with the operation of the mower in any way and can be brought into operation or put in inoperative condition at any time. Due to the extreme iiexibility of the mounting of the device, it can be used for edging along drives and sidewalks, for edging along flower beds and the like, or for brushing out trenches and along corners in cement work, such as curbs and the like.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

l. In a lawn edging tool attachment of the type described; a bracket, a beam having its rear end pivoted to said bracket for movement in a vertical plane and having an edging tool mounted on its other end, and means for tilting said beam about its pivotal connection with said bracket in a vertical plane comprising a rst block pivotally mounted on said bracket, a second block pivotally mounted on said beam, a threaded rod engaging said blocks and screw threaded to at least one thereof whereby rotation of said rod will draw said blocks toward or away from each other to tilt said beam, and means comprising a shaft operatively connected to said rod for rotating the same.

2. A lawn edging attachment for power lawn mowers, said attachment comprising a frame adapted to be removably fastened to said lawn mower, a beam pivotally mounted at one end on said frame, an edging tool rotatably mounted on the opposite end of said beam, means for drivingly connecting said edging tool to the power source of said lawn mower for operation thereof, said edging tool being adjustably mounted on said beam for presenting said tool to the work at diierent angles, means for retaining said edging tool in fixed adjusted position, and means carried by said frame for tilting said beam about its pivotal axis to raise or lower said edging tool while retaining said tool drivingly connected to said power source.

3. A lawn edging attachment for power lawn mowers, said attachment comprising a frame adapted to be removably fastened t0 said lawn mower, a beam pivotally mounted at one end on Said frame, an edging tool rotatably mounted on the opposite end of said beam, means for drivingly connecting said edging tool to the power source of said lawn mower for operation thereof, said beam comprising a longitudinally movable forward section, said section carrying said edging tool, said section being rotatable about its longitudinal axis for angularly adjusting said edging tool for presenting the same to the work at different angles, means for retaining said edging tool in xed adjusted position, and means carried by said frame for tilting said beam about its pivotal axis to raise or lower said edging tool while retaining said tool drivingly connected to said power source.

4. A lawn edging attachment for power lawn mowers, said attachment comprising a frame adapted to be removably fastened to said lawn mower, a beam pivotally mounted at one end on said frame, an edging tool rotatably mounted on the opposite end of said beam, means for drivingly 'connecting said edging tool to the power source of said lawn mower for operation thereof, said beam being divided intermediate its length, means for rotatably securing the front end of said beam to the rearward part of said beam, means for adjustably positioning said forward portion of said beam carrying said edging tool for presenting said tool to the work at different angles, means tor retaining said edging tool in a fixed adjusted position, and means carried by said frame for tilting said beam about its pivotal axis to raise or lower said edging tool while retaining said tool drivingly connected to said power source.

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